TOMODACHI Initiative Announces New Partnerships at a Reception During the U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference in Tokyo
On November 9, 2015, the TOMODACHI Initiative announced new partnerships during the TOMODACHI Celebration and Reception hosted at the 2015 U.S.-Japan Council Annual Conference. Held for the first time in Tokyo, this conference themed “Beyond 2020 Vision: Going Global with the U.S.-Japan Partnership” took place on November 9 and 10. Approximately 850 American and Japanese leaders from all sectors convened in Tokyo, Japan to discuss the value of working across sectors and generations to envision, promote and develop a more vibrant and dynamic U.S.-Japan relationship.
At the Reception, U.S.-Japan Council President Irene Hirano Inouye announced the newest Strategic Partner of the TOMODACHI Initiative — the TOMODACHI Combini Fund established by Lawson, Inc. and FamilyMart Co., Ltd. convenience stores, which supports youth in the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Furthermore, Evolution Japan was recognized for their support, providing the U.S.-Japan Council-Japan and TOMODACHI Initiative with office space in Tokyo.
In addition, earlier in the day His Excellency Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan attended the opening of the annual conference and announced, “As we approach the five year milestone since the Great East Japan Earthquake, I would like to announce that the Japanese Government will be bolstering its cooperative relationship with the TOMODACHI Initiative.”
He continued, “Once again, this fiscal year we will be continuing the TOMODACHI Inouye Scholars Program for exchanges at the university student level, which was carried out last fiscal year as part of the KAKEHASHI Project. This program, which bears the name of President Irene Hirano Inouye’s late husband, Senator Daniel K. Inouye, is being implemented thanks to the tremendous cooperation of the U.S.-Japan Council.”
“I am grateful to the many corporate and institutional partners who support the TOMODACHI initiative. Through innovative exchange programs, TOMODACHI is creating the leaders of tomorrow who will ensure the U.S.-Japan relationship remains strong,” U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline B. Kennedy commented on the additional partnerships.
Besides Ambassador Kennedy, other distinguished guests who attended the reception included State Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoji Muto, as well as TOMODACHI alumni and key business and government leaders from the United States and Japan.
U.S.-Japan Council President, Irene Hirano Inouye, remarked “I want to take this opportunity to thank our contributors and partners for supporting TOMODACHI and our vision. The TOMODACHI Initiative is an innovative public-private partnership that invests in the future of hundreds of Japanese and American youth every year. The impact is far beyond the program participants. It has inspired and served as a catalyst for donor companies, implementers, and communities that support the program to continue investing in young people. I am proud of the lasting people-to-people connections that have been built through the TOMODACHI Initiative.”
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